ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Condition

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis in modern perspective?

Rheumatoid Arthritis occurs when the body’s immune system malfunctions, attacking healthy tissues in addition to its normal enemies, such as bacteria and viruses. This malfunction causes inflammation which leads to pain, swelling in the joints and may eventually cause joint damage and painful disability. Again, the exact cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis is unknown; experts believe that the disease may be the result of a combination of factors, including genetics (inherited genes), environment (triggered by an infectious agent such as a bacteria or virus), hormones, body’s response to stressful events, etc.

Ayurvedic Perspective

According to Ayurveda there are three active energy forces that govern the functions of our body. They are:

• Vata (Space & Air) that governs movement including blood circulation, conduction of nerve impulses, joint movements, etc.

• Pitta (Fire) that governs digestion and metabolism.

• Kapha (Earth & Water), which governs structure, growth, lubrication, etc.

The signs and symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis resemble the condition Vata Sonita mentioned in Ayurveda, which is a Vata imbalanced disease. Vitiation of Rakta or impurity of blood is produced by incompatible diet, lifestyle, indigestion, sedentary work, etc. This can be referred to as quality deterioration of blood tissue or as toxic accumulation of imbalanced metabolic activities and pathogenic microbes.

The accumulation of impure blood gets harbored in joints and acts like a foreign substance, imbalancing the energy factor Vata which leads to the inflammation of joints.

Causes & risks

What are the causes of Vata Sonita as explained in Ayurveda?

• Incompatible diet and lifestyle

• Indigestion

• Sedentary work

• Day-sleep

As per the Charaka Samhitha details, the causes of Vata Sonita are related to over-intake & continuous intake of food items like: salty, sour, pungent, alkaline, hot and uncooked food; meat of aquatic and marshy animals, oil-cakes, radish, horse gram, black gram, sprouts, sesame, sugarcane, curd, sour gruel, vinegars and alcohol.

Risk factors of Rheumatoid Arthritis

§  Smoking

§  Genetic inheritance

§  Sedentary lifestyle

§  People between ages 40-60;

§  Proneness in women

§  Proneness after menopause or after hysterectomy

Symptoms

Early signs & symptoms :

Skin discoloration, appearance of boils, numbness, lassitude, malaise, heaviness, itching sensation, unstable pain in joints, etc.

Common signs & symptoms are :

Warm & tender joints, pain & swelling of the joints, morning stiffness, fever and nodules under the skin.

Ayurveda categorises Vata Sonita into 4 types and the symptoms slightly vary according to the type.

Treatment

Treatment approach through Authentic Ayurveda:

Ayurveda therapies & medications can safely and effectively reduce inflammation in your joints in order to relieve pain and prevent or slow down joint damage. Ayurveda gives clinically significant improvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis on par with Allopathy treatment, with the added advantage of lesser side effects.

Our line of Ayurveda treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis involves

• Avoid the cause- Diet & Lifestyle modifications

• Digestives & Carminatives - relieves indigestion & fever

• Purify the blood tissue - improves quality functions

• Reduce the inflammation in joints or balance Vata throughpacification or purification (Panchakarma)

• Strengthen/revitalise the affected joints and body (Nutrition, Tonics).

How is Ayurveda treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis different from any other treatments?

• Personalised therapy

• Free of side effects

• Holistic approach

Birla Kerala Vaidyashala’s authentic way of curing Rheumatoid Arthritis

Lifestyle Modification / Management

• Regular exercise

• Stress management

• Discipline in lifestyle & diet

• Avoid / reduce causes

Therapies

• Lepam: A paste form of the medicine prepared from the appropriate drugs along with some suitable herbal liquids are used for the application on the affected parts of the body. The external application of herbal pastes helps retain the medicated effect of the herbs and is very beneficial for Vata dominated diseases.

• Abhyangam: This traditional and powerful anti-inflammatory therapy is ideal for individuals suffering from a disorder caused by the Vata

• Pizhichil: This treatment involves squeezing a cloth soaked in warm medicated oil all over the patient’s body. It has proven very effective for ailments due to Vata, especially degenerative diseases affecting joints.

• Upanaham: It is a treatment for rheumatic ailments in which hot herbal paste is used as a localized bandage at various joints. It is used to detoxify the body using natural ingredients.

• Kizhi: Minced herbal leaves are cooked in medicated oils and bundled into a bolus of muslin cloth, which is heated and patted rhythmically all over the body. This detoxifies the body through sweat, improves blood circulation and also helps in degenerative joint disorders & rheumatic pain.

• Virechanam: It is a purgative treatment to rid the body of imbalanced Pitta and Vata. It helps in detoxifying the blood tissue.

• Vasthy: It is a herbal enema in which a decoction of oils and medicines is administered through the rectum for evacuation of the bowels. This is a purification treatment that is done for patients suffering from arthritis.

One has to undergo a detailed consultation with our specialists from Kerala for prescription medicines and personalised therapies.